Doug’s Theological Thoughts

  • Gnostic Christianity

    The early Christian church (what became the Orthodox tradition, before the East-West schism) did oppose Gnostic groups and their teachings, labeling them as heretical. They worked to suppress Gnostic writings, and later—after Christianity gained imperial support in the 4th century—some texts were indeed banned, confiscated, and destroyed (including burning in certain cases). But the idea…

  • Neophyte in the Orthodox Church

    In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the term “neophyte” (from the Greek neophytoi, meaning “newly planted”) refers to a newly baptized and chrismated (confirmed) Christian — someone who has recently been received into the full life of the Church through the sacraments of initiation.Unlike the Roman Catholic tradition, which has a more formalized “neophyte year” (a…

  • Incense in the Church

    Yes, prior to the Reformation, the Christian Church (both in the East and West) consistently interpreted Malachi 1:11 as a literal prophecy fulfilled in Christian worship — specifically, the use of literal incense alongside the “pure offering” understood as the Eucharistic sacrifice. This understanding appears very early and remains uniform across the patristic period (roughly…

  • Perpetual Virginity of Mary

    In Eastern Orthodox theology, the perpetual virginity of Mary (that she remained a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Christ, often called “Ever-Virgin” or Aeiparthenos) is a firmly held dogma, rooted in apostolic tradition, the Church Fathers, liturgical texts, and early Christian writings like the Protoevangelium of James. The question of Joseph accepting…

  • Orthodox Calendar(s)

    There’s a weird claim out there. Excuse you actually Holy Orthodoxy and its insistence on a calendar that is literally wrong comes from St. Mehmed II, Pillar of Orthodoxy and Equal to the Apostles (pbuh) The Reality There is zero historical evidence that Mehmed II ever issued any decree, spoke, or intervened regarding the Julian…

  • Joseph Adopted Jesus

    In the New Testament, Mary was initially betrothed (engaged) to Joseph (Matthew 1:18), a legally binding commitment in first-century Jewish custom—stronger than modern engagement and requiring a formal divorce to break. When Mary was found to be pregnant (by the Holy Spirit, according to the virgin birth accounts), Joseph considered divorcing her quietly. But an…

  • Intercession of the Saints

    No early Church Father (typically defined as writers from the 1st to 5th centuries, especially ante-Nicene and Nicene eras) explicitly denied or rejected the intercession of departed saints in a clear, systematic way — that is, no major patristic figure wrote a treatise or statement outright condemning the belief that saints in heaven can pray…

  • Orthodoxy and Forgiveness

    The Eastern Orthodox Church does not generally teach unilateral forgiveness in the sense of always requiring or mandating complete, unconditional forgiveness of others without any regard to repentance — but the teaching strongly emphasizes forgiving everyone from the heart as a personal spiritual necessity, even (and especially) when the offender shows no repentance. This is…

  • Did Calvin teach unilateral forgiveness?

    John Calvin did not teach unilateral forgiveness (i.e., a completely one-sided, unconditional granting of full relational pardon and reconciliation without any regard to the offender’s response or repentance). Calvin’s teaching on forgiveness aligns closely with the biblical pattern: Christians are commanded to maintain an attitude of love, forbear love, and readiness to forgive even toward…

  • Early Life Abuse

    (Part 1 Therapy for the soul) Most of the saints had very Godly mothers so this doesn’t apply as much to them as it does to us regular folks.. Orthodox Christian “therapy for the soul” (as described in the Patristic tradition and especially in Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos’s Orthodox Psychotherapy) does involve dealing with the deep…

  • Therapy for the soul

    Orthodox Christian “therapy for the soul” (often called Orthodox psychotherapy or the science of spiritual medicine) refers to the entire ancient tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church as a healing system for the human soul, mind, and body, wounded by the Fall, sin, passions, and death. This understanding is most famously articulated in the modern…

  • Prayers for the Dead

    Prayers for the dead were a Jewish practice in the Second Temple period, before the time of Jesus Christ (who lived circa 4 BCE–30 CE). The clearest evidence comes from 2 Maccabees 12:38–46, a Jewish text composed around 124 BCE during the Hellenistic era. In this account, Judas Maccabeus and his men discover that fallen…

  • First use of the word “Jew”

    The four earliest uses of “Jew” by the time(s) they describe are: 2 Kings 16:6: Describes events ca. 735–732 BCE (Syro-Ephraimite War, during King Ahaz’s reign), where Rezin of Aram drives the “Jews” (Yehudim) from Elath. Jeremiah (e.g., 34:9): References events ca. 588–586 BCE (Babylonian siege of Jerusalem). Zechariah 8:23 (chapters 1–8): Set in 520–518…

  • Two Branches

    The post-crucifixion history of the separation between followers of Jesus (early Christians) and non-following Jews was a gradual process, not a single event. Modern scholars describe it as the “parting of the ways,” spanning from the 1st to the 4th century CE, with Christianity emerging as a distinct, predominantly Gentile religion while Judaism evolved into…

  • Jewish Physicians

    There is a historical canon in the Eastern Orthodox Church that prohibits Christians from seeking medical treatment from Jewish physicians. This is found in Canon 11 of the Council in Trullo (also known as the Quinisext Council, held in 692 AD), which is accepted as part of the canonical tradition in the Eastern Orthodox Church.…

  • More Hannukah Details

    Continuing the Hannukah theme (Part 1) (Part 2) Looking deeper into Hannukah. During Hanukkah celebrations in December 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explicitly referred to the five brave brothers—the sons of Mattathias—who sparked and led the Maccabean Revolt. In a speech at the Western Wall while lighting Hanukkah candles with IDF soldiers and U.S.…

  • Letter to a Friend

    Friend below is from the church I pastored from July 2004 to Fall 2005. Our skeeters are few and far between here, but we have them. Lots of trees for them to come out of but less standing water here to breed them. Everything is hilly and most water flows down. I have scars from…

  • Happy Hannukah

    Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem for Hannukah, and the Jews there tried to kill Him. Recapitulating the slaughter of the innocent martyrs in Maccabees. The miracle that happened then was Jesus escaped their hands. John 10 portrays Jesus as fulfilling or surpassing the rededication theme, claiming divine unity in the very space rededicated…

  • Prayer Posture

    Posture during prayer during the time of Jesus involved various positions. It was common for full prostrations to be done in the First Century both in the Temple and in private prayers. This practice was phased out after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD by Judaism and later forbidden in the Talmud. This…

  • Jesus and the Jews

    Jewish Accusation of Sorcery Passages in the Babylonian Talmud refer to a figure named “Yeshu” (or “Yeshu ha-Notzri”) whom most scholars and traditional Jewish sources identify as Jesus of Nazareth, and they explicitly accuse him of practicing sorcery (kishuf in Hebrew). The key passages are: Sanhedrin 43a: Describes the trial and execution of Yeshu. It…

  • POPE LEO XIV Calls for FULL COMMUNION with ORTHODOX

  • Persian/Jewish Massacre of Christians

    The Sasanian Persian conquest of Jerusalem in 614 CE According to most sources (especially Christian ones), when the Persians finally broke in, a large-scale massacre followed. Tens of thousands of Christians were killed (estimates in medieval sources range from 57,000 to 90,000). Crucially, the Persians (with help from local Jewish forces) seized the True Cross—the…

  • Two Parishes

    I know two parishes well. The city parish is near several top tier universities. Catechumen classes are on Wednesday nights, but only during the school year. The cradle priest says he’ll meet with you privately but frequently cancels meetings because Catechumens are at the bottom of his priority list. During finals week the Catechumens number…

  • Jews in Palestine/Israel

    Historically, very few Jews have lived in Palestine/Israel… Summary Throughout all of Jewish history (from roughly 1200 BCE to November 2025), approximately 3–8% of the total Jewish population (measured in person-years) has lived in the Land of Israel/Palestine, while 92–97% has lived outside it in the Diaspora. Grok Determining the exact percentage of Jews throughout…